Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-03-27
SHIRLEY CARSTONE.
Ry ELIZA
Copyrighted
CONTINUED
MI.
A A IN THE A

on the fortunes of the Carstone family.
1t may or may not be credit to = woman
to write for newspapers. 1t depends on
what she writes.
The poem in which Shirley's heart was
was bound up had to be put aside. At
times she wrote brief bits Of verse as Of
old, but not often. There was no money
in poetry.
Money the CarstOnes must have. Shirley
wrote short essays and sketches, and got
paid for them. So thoroughly were the
real aud the ideal blended in her nature
that her literary work was pointed esPeci-
ally with strong, practical sense. In truth,
she caught the ideal and made it the real.
That was her way in all things
She had no extraordinary and romantic
difficulties in getting modest newspaper
employment. Her power was recognized
there from the first. That much in her
life at least was easy. But her existence
had fallen into such q humdrum rut that
she sighed for change day br day. She was
the same strong, bright spirit OF old, ever
ready for what her hand found to do. But
her life seemed to her to be wearing itself
n like a mill wheel that turns around
and around in one spot. She felt it sadly.
One morning, at the beginning of her
vacation, Percy brought her a letter from
the p~ostofice. 1t was from the editor Of
the Morning Herald, for which she wrote.
The letter was an answer to her silent
thought. In read:
Dear Miss Carstone:
The Observation-Disclosures aSSOcia-
ton are to hold a three weeks convention
away off in Langham. They meet day after
Tomorrow. Ii is found advisable to print q
report of their wisdom in the Morning Her
aid. Will you 90 to Langham and report
the thing for US, and can You start at once!
Ed. MORNING HERALD.
p. S.-The State Insane asylum IL at
Langham. II SOme OF the inside lunatles
escape and get mixed with the outside
lunes and 90 to S~peechmaking, it will make
the convention l~iyelier, but the proceed
ings will not be any more difficult to I'M
derstand.
To which she answered:
l will 90, and / can start at once.
SHIRLEY CARSTOSE.
That afternoon she sped away firm Ches-
terten ON the wings of steam. 1t was the
first time she had been away from home
since the death of her father, six years be-
fore. The frettings of her mother, the
troublesome, though we'll beloved children
the wearing, petty cares indoors and out
that narrowed her without ceasing at home,
were all left behind. Shirley was happy.
Even the music mad young lady, who
sat behind her and trilled TO herself for
sixty miles out, did not annoy her.
She felt like a bird out of a cage. The
not being appealed to a hundred times a
day, the not having to plan and decide
everything for everybody, gave her an
elasticity of spirit that she had not known
for many a day. She likened herself to
Christian in Pilgrims Progress when
the load slipped off his back.
She had a sense of freedom about her
work, too, that WAS very grateful. Hitherto
what she wrote had to be done in time
snatched from her rest, and at odd minutes
between other duties. lt was what she
had been about evenings, when her mother
had complained that she did not look after
the boys.
Now at Langham she had her time to
herself. She bad nothing to do but write,
except to listen. For Shirley, listening was
easy, though it is not so tor everybody.
She facilitated herself.
She made herself comfortable. She had
a pleasant room on the ground floor Of a
cottage overlooking a little lake. All was
clean and rural and sweet, as Shirley loved
10 nave it.
Her work was not difficult either, for
brain and fingers had been trained TO her
task.
There was one place where she liked
best to write. That was in a corner OF the
grounds. ont under the trees. Ii was a half
hidden nook, where q little table was, and
a rustic seat. Hither Shirley hied every
afternoon, and put the finishing touches
on her manuscripts.
Ii was midsummer. Sometimes between
the tremendous declarations of the insti-
tute and the thermometer day was very
hot. The institute kindly accepted the
aid of the thermometer in making things
hot. Ii fell on such an afternoon rs this
that Shirley wore a pretty white dress out
to her favOrite corner under the trees. Shir-
ley liked white dresses. As she went she
stole q red rose froma bush beside the walk
and fastened it in her hair. Our girl was
very beautiful.
A gentleman who had strOlled out alone
in the grounds, and happened to see her
sitting there thought 30. He was a hand
sOm,, distinguished looking man, with
brilliant, dark gray eyes, His face was a
masteriul one. 1t bore the stamp ofthought
experience and intellect.
II saw the lady sitting there, with the
white dress, the red rose fastened in her
crown of light brown hair. She did not
perceive him. She had finished her writ
ing. She threw her arm, the pencil still
in her fingers, careleSsly along the twisted
back of the rustic seat. Her head was
raised and turned slightly to one side. The
regal pose, the noble profile, the exquisite
rosestinted cheek were very striking
The man who stood there spell bound.
had he ever seen that face and figure, in
lust such q pose, the white dress, the red
rose and the fair hair? Oh, heaven! There
came q sudden physical movement about
his heart. as if il wOuld break from his
breast lie placed his hand against a tree
to steady himself. He need something to
hold fast By. And yet it had been six
years!
Well, he would not startle her if he
could help it. He cracked q dead branch
to make some sound, and kept his face half
hidden. The lady heard the noise, and
locke about. She saw q mans figure and
a half face. The man watched her in side
chances. The face, the outlines took for
her a look or something we'll known and
loved long ago. He turned now and ap-
preached her slowly. Once more, as once
in the past, the blood fOrsOOk her face and
settled back around her heart. Then il
came again in great waves and surges to
her face. The grief, the care, the weari-
ness of six years rolled away rs in a cloud,
and lett her sitting under the trees with a
white dress on and q red rose in her hair,
and the master leaning over the rustic seat
beside her.